Coronavirus: Thai elephants sent home from sanctuaries as pandemic hits tourism

Dozens of elephants in Thailand have been released back into the wild as the global coronavirus outbreak continues to hit the pockets of animal sanctuaries.

It comes after a warning that more than 4,000 Thai elephants could starve thanks to the lack of income for sanctuaries as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

More than 100 elephants are walking 95 miles to their habitual homes, with a charity raising money for those that remain in the care of sanctuaries.

The Save Elephant Foundation is also helping to support the animals as they resettle into their home communities.

Elephant herds have been walking from the city of Chiang Mai, in the north of the country, to their homeland of Mae Chaem - where local villages of Karen ethnic minorities traditionally keep elephants.

Sadudee Serichevee from Chiang Mai's Mae Wang district owns four elephants, and said that he had followed the approach of the charity by setting up his own Karen Elephant Experience park with the animals he bought from his wife's village - Mae Chaem's Ban Huay Bong.

However, his plans were put in to question by the COVID-19 outbreak. He said: "At first I thought the situation would be back to normal within a month or two. At the end of April, I lost all hope."

The couple agreed to transfer the elephants back to her village after it became clear they could not afford to pay the costs - close to 200,000 baht (£5,000) a month - to rent the land and facilities, pay staff and buy food.